A Trip To The Park
by meltedliripip
Summary: Lily and James prepare to take a little outing with some friends and baby, Harry. Just a quick peek into the lives of the parents and world that Harry would never know.


**This was part of a multi chapter fic I had up last summer. I found the whole thing but particularly loved this chapter so I thought I'd re-add it. I hope you enjoy reading!**

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Lily stands at the bottom of the staircase in the home in which she, her husband and son live in. She holds her son, Harry, on her hip, trying to stop him from the crying he has taken to. She has been planning this day for a few weeks, and James is locked up in the spare bedroom, holding up the day, to the extent that they are now running an hour late. She is sure that Mooney and Padfoot will understand, but she is still furious with him.

'You know what James?' She juts her head in the direction of the stairs, att the top of which, the door to the spare bedroom is closed, 'Sometimes I think my life would have been so much better if I hadn't ever married you. For a start, I wouldn't have to plan a simple trip to the park a month in advance. And I wouldn't spend half my time screaming at you to get things done! _And _I wouldn't have this screaming baby. You know, James? The one we had together, but somehow I ended up solely caring for? Do you remember him, James? I mean, I know you weren't there for the birth or anything, but he is your son too! And I wouldn't be constantly getting visits from Dumbledore, telling me that I need to keep you under control!'

James's head pokes out of the spare bedroom, a look of pure shock on his face.

'Take that back.' Is his only reply to her rant.

'Which bit? The bit about how you barely spend anytime with me and Harry? The bit about how you are constantly playing up with Sirius, or the bit about how I wish I had never married you?!'

'All of it,' James is coming down the stairs now, a small black object in his hands, 'but especially the bit about Harry. You know I love both of you to bits.'

'What's that you've got?' Lily's anger cannot stop her curiosity, and so she practically spits the question at him.

'It's my old camera. You know, the one I had at school. It stopped working a while ago, so I was just fixing it. I wanted it to be a surprise when we got to the park.'

Suddenly, Lily's anger ceases, and she is taken over by a horrible feeling of guilt. The fact that she was screaming at him, while he was doing something so sweet for her and Harry, makes her feel nearly sick.

'I'm sorry I shouted. That's very cute of you. Can we go now though, please?'

Before she moves away to put Harry in the buggy, however, she leans in, and pecks him on the lips. He returns the kiss, but both of them realise that they are in a hurry, and move towards the door.

'About bloody time! Where have you been?'

The look on Sirius's face as he says this is joking, but Lily and James can tell that in these dark times, he was genuinely worried for them.

'I was just fixing up my old camera. I thought it might be nice to capture a few moments for Harry to look back on, in a few years. Where's Moony?'

'He's over there, talking to that Auror,' Sirius gestures in the direction of one the Aurors who sole job today is to make their trip to the park is completely smooth, and that You Know Who doesn't jump up from behind a bush, trying to kill the small boy, giggling from his pushchair. The small boy who Sirius turns his full attention to as Lily waves Moony over, and James goes off to the point Peter will be Apparating to in a few minutes.

'Hello there, little man!'

As Sirius lifts the baby out of his pram, he smiles up at him, his tiny fists reaching out for his godfather's face.

'I'm sorry I haven't managed to visit you as much as I'd have liked to recently, mate. I'll make it up to you, I promise.'

As if he understands what Sirius has just said to him, Harry nods seriously, babbling in a way as though he is having a conversation with the older man about him making it up to him.

As Sirius hugs and coos at the small boy, Remus runs up to the group, now containing Peter Pettigrew as well as the married couple and Sirius, and greets everyone, before leaning down to kiss Lily on each cheek.

James asks the question the other three men have not yet, due to fear that Lily will bite their head off:

'So, we're just going to aimlessly walk through the park?'

'Is there a problem with that?'

'No, no, I was just wandering. I just thought Harry may like it if we go to the playground.'


End file.
